


As Long As Forever Lasts

by EmbryonicHarmonic



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Canon X OC - Freeform, F/M, Romance, Sun Dog, at times love is, gratuitous utena references, there is no canon so I will make my own
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:00:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23868652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmbryonicHarmonic/pseuds/EmbryonicHarmonic
Summary: A love story between the sun and a knight. At times, love is...
Relationships: Bismarck Waldstein x OC, Canon X OC
Comments: 18
Kudos: 3





	1. The Sunlit Garden

Old blood.

That was the phrase that followed the Waldstein name. Old knights. Old soldiers. Old blood. No Emperor or Empress ever ruled without one at their command, and the name had become rather synonymous with loyalty and strength. Britannia may have been held on the shoulders of her Emperor, but she was defended by the greatest of knights. 

Bismarck Waldstein was no different.

First son of a first son, the young man had his start set out. The Royal Academy had been his home for the past six months, away from the cold stone of his venerable house. There was no doubt that he would be a knight, perhaps one of the Knights of the Round, as his old friendship with the Emperor-to-be was without question. The two were old friends, even at their young age. He was here to follow in the footsteps of his bloodline. Training and academia were vital, and though he was gaining a reputation for being a powerful man, the wisdom he had gained over such a short time was rapidly making him someone to be respected, and perhaps feared.

It was a warm spring afternoon, not usually something he took notice of, but today seemed different. There was something about the clear sky and how the sunlight shone on the white stone of the academy’s walls, the various crests seemingly illuminated by the sun. 

Bismarck rarely took actual notice of much of the academy’s staff. He was polite, but rarely did he go out of his way to notice them. Today was different. 

There was someone in the large flower garden today. The large area between the mathematics building and the biology labs, with stone paths and grand, healthy flora was not a place he normally saw people who were not just moving through between the buildings. 

She was a small woman, though Bismarck’s height made everyone look small. Slender, with dark brown hair that didn’t even touch her shoulders, and definitively Asian features. She didn’t seem to be wearing a standard uniform, nor did anyone else seem to take notice of her. She was just standing in front of one of the forsythia clusters, not far from a patch of white violets, and as he stood in silence, Bismarck saw her softly tending to the plants themselves. It had to be a trick of the light, to see her simply touch a sickly bloom and see the plant perk up and become vibrant and a little more alive.

It was uncharacteristic of him, to stand so transfixed as he just watched someone do their job. How had he not noticed someone like her before? Was he just so unobservant that he overlooked people who were simply maintaining the campus as it should be? That realization alone made him feel as though he had failed somewhere in his training. 

“You’ll be late if you keep standing around.” 

It took him longer than it should have to realize she was talking. To him. 

The sunlight seemed warmer. The day seemed brighter, somehow. 

Bismarck snapped his heels together, as if being called-out so quickly had caused him to lose any semblance of composure. He was not a man to get flustered, and yet here he was. 

“My apologies, miss. I’ll try not to get in your way.” He said, managing to reign in his tone properly as he moved on. 

For the first time in a long time, it was hard for him to fully concentrate on his studies that evening. Something was distracting him, and he wasn’t entirely sure he had words for it. That there wasn’t a proper way to explain what he was finding so hard to focus on. The sun had long since set, but he found himself still thinking about the unusual encounter in the garden. 

Unfortunately, a long walk late at night yielded nothing. The garden was empty, there was no sign of that woman, and he would be lying if he had said he was not a little disappointed, somehow. 

_Why? She was just one of the staff._

At least, that was what he told himself when he finally fell asleep.


	2. Lyric of the Campus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another encounter...

Bismarck found himself a creature of habit. 

He counted three days before he realized he was taking the same path past the gardens in the hopes of seeing that young woman again. It was foolish, absolutely, but something about her made him deeply want to see her again. To know her name at the very least. And what would he do after that? He didn’t even know. Maybe just talk to her, and maybe they could talk for an afternoon. The curiosity in him was a powerful force, and he wasn’t entirely sure if it was solely curiosity, or if it was some other greater emotion. 

It was evening on the fourth day when he finally saw her. 

Out alone in the rain, just kneeling by a rather sad-looking patch of flowers - though he was not a man extremely versed in botany - seeming to tend to them while the downpour soaked her through. 

Bismarck was raised to be a gentleman, and at 20 years young, he was hardly going to stop now. 

Umbrella opened, and it only shielded him for a matter of seconds before it was extended, covering the lady from the downpour. His clothes could be soaked through, they would dry without consequence. But if this lady was indeed one of the gardeners, he assumed there were not grand armoires full of proper clothes waiting for her. 

The sudden lack of rain and presence of the knight-to-be made her stop, and she finally looked up. He could finally see her eyes, as golden-amber as the sunset, and Bismarck felt his heart jump into this throat. He’d never felt this way before, never. For all he knew, this young woman was the sunrise, and he had been living in the dark since then. She stood up, and he realized then and there that he definitely towered over her. 

“You’re going to catch a cold if you let yourself get rained on.” She said, smiling up at him. 

His chest tightened. 

“If it would prevent you from working in the rain, then it would be worth it, miss.” 

A small laugh escaped her, and she took a long step towards him. The motion forced him to pull the umbrella over them both, leaving them both close but shielded, even as rain gathered in puddles around their feet. Was she barefoot? Bismarck wasn’t sure he had noticed anything about her before, right now the rest of her could disappear and he was sure he wouldn’t realize it, he couldn’t look away from her face. He was sure he had never seen anyone smile so warmly in his entire life. No lady of the court would do such a thing. They were all proper and perfect. 

But she was… well, not proper, but he was sure she was some form of perfect that hadn’t been defined by the upper class. 

“I know you’ve been looking for me in the garden, Sir Knight.” She said, her hands taking his free one, and she felt so warm. She seemed so small and delicate, her hands soft compared to his own. 

“I’m.. I’m not a knight yet, miss. One day, I hope, but I still have another year at the academy.” 

She laughed again, softly. 

“You will, like so many before you. Your bloodline precedes you, but you will surpass it.” The way she spoke made it sound so sure, and Bismarck felt the heat rise to his cheeks. This was way beyond whatever training and etiquette he could have learned. He shifted his weight a little. 

“If I may be so bold, miss, how can you be so sure?” 

Fortune-telling was just a trick. A lie. There was no such thing as being able to see the future, it didn’t exist. But she spoke so calmly that he wanted to believe it. That she knew, that maybe this small woman who tended flowers knew. 

“The sun has known you all your life, Bismarck Waldstein.”

His heart leapt into his throat. 

Thunder rolled overhead, and the rain only seemed to come down harder around them. Two people, under a single umbrella, out in the storm. How long they stood like this, he wasn’t sure. What he did know is that it felt right. That he was supposed to be here. He was not a man who indulged in the idea of fate, but this was one of those times. Maybe this moment was how things were supposed to be. 

“Miss… if it is not rude, may I ask your name?” He finally asked, when the night seemed to grow darker. 

She still held his hand, and the two of them finally moved under the awning of the dormitory. It was late, and only one of them had classwork still to finish. 

“Okami.” She finally said, and he felt a fluttering in his stomach, though he was not sure why. 

It was then that she let go of his hand, and stepped away from him, still smiling. 

“The night is long, and I will see you again, Sir Knight.” 

She seemed to disappear into the rain before he could say anything. 

Bismarck stood there for several more seconds before he collapsed the umbrella and went inside. There was work to do, and the night was long indeed.


	3. Earth As A Character Gallery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A knight to be is falling in love.

Bismarck did indeed see her again. 

Sometimes he wasn’t even sure, but he always checked the larger garden. Or outside of the dormitories. Sometimes she was nowhere, and sometimes she was there waiting for him. More than once they were spotted on the field not far from the dueling arena, under the watchful eye of the large tower in the center of campus where the administration met, and where the future knights were chosen. 

Just the two of them, together.

And Bismarck was slowly growing to understand the feeling that he had been unable to untangle in their first few encounters.

Okami was a delightful woman. Someone who he never felt bored with, someone he always felt he could ask for advice - even if it was sometimes the most cryptic sort of advice he had ever heard. But there was a warmth about her that Bismarck had never encountered among the nobility. Something he could only describe as warm, there wasn’t even a comparison. She was nothing like the noble ladies he had been introduced to in his late teens, there was no haughtiness, no weight on her shoulders to continue the family. 

And there was something so freeing about that. 

The young knight-to-be had not neglected his studies, though he had been sacrificing his sleep to spend some of the sunlight hours with her. Even now, they were sitting on one of the campus hillsides, looking out across the field and towards the large, wooded area where the dueling arena lay. Like a loving couple on a picnic, it seemed. Bismarck at least had the foresight to not be in his proper white uniform, the idea of scrubbing grass stains out of it did not appeal to him. 

Okami, on the other hand, always seemed to be in work clothes, though he had noticed she never seemed to wear shoes. And though there were few flowers on the field around them, there seemed to be many blooming around her feet. 

“Miss Okami-”

“I’ve told you before, you don’t need to be formal with me.” 

Bismarck felt his face flush a bit, and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck before he managed to recover. 

“Okami, please don’t think me rude or too forwards, but why are you here? You are far too clever to just be one of the gardeners.” He nearly regretted saying it the moment the words left his mouth, but the curiosity had struck. He had not yet tried to look through the records to see if she was actually a legitimate worker or if she just kept sneaking in and no one caught her. 

Fortunately, she did not seem to be offended. 

Instead, she slid one hand over his, watching the color rise in his cheeks. 

“I have not been to this part of the world in a long time. One day, I simply arrived, and no one has taken notice until you. Perhaps that was how it is meant to be, though I am no stranger to being overlooked.” She was still smiling, looking up at him. 

On this kind of sunny day, her eyes seemed to shine like gold. 

“I can’t understand how anyone would overlook you. You are radiant.” 

Bismarck clapped a hand over his mouth right after the words left it, and he was so red that he might have been a beacon signalling space. Okami laughed, reaching over and gently running her fingers through his hair. He looked so embarrassed. 

“You are the first to say that in a very long time, Bismarck. If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were trying to court me like I were a proper noblewoman.” She said, inching just a hair closer to him. 

There were more flowers around them, he was sure of it now. 

Bismarck took several long seconds to compose himself. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Could he actually court her properly? His father would likely disapprove, though the Waldstein family had occasionally not been married to nobility--

“However.”

That snapped him out of his thoughts. 

“If you are serious about such an idea, I would ask you to be absolutely certain, and ask you to know me for who I am, and not who your heart may wish me to be.” There was no playfulness to her tone, and her meaning was clear. 

Do not rush, do not push, do not hurry. There was plenty of time for something like this, and they did not need to tear for the chapel instantly. Perhaps his emotions were getting the better of him, and perhaps he was truly certain, but for now he did not have any way to know for sure. He wasn’t even sure where to start on such an endeavor. Did he truly know nothing about this young woman? And what had she endured in the past to give this sort of warning? Bismarck was not sure, and he didn’t know how to properly sort out what emotions he was feeling. Time and reflection, that seemed to be it. 

The silence passed between them for several moments before a large bell chimed across campus. 

The two stood up, looking at one another.

“Does this mean you would like some space?” Bismarck asked awkwardly. 

Okami shook her head. 

“It means I want you to understand yourself, and I will always be here for you. I’m not disappearing out of your life, of course. In fact, you’ll still see me in the gardens, we can still find each other, I simply don’t want you rushing into things before you’re ready.” She replied, but she was smiling. 

That was good enough for him. 

That evening, Bismarck was slowly paging through the school directory, searching for names. Not that it was simple, Okami had never used a surname it seemed, and he was scouring the faculty list. Then the staff list. Then students. 

But he never found her. 

Something felt… off. Some part of that knowledge, that she was not actually a gardener like he had assumed, felt strange. Conversely, some part of it felt like that he was taking a step in the right direction. To know her for who she was, and not who his rampant emotions were trying to imagine her as. 

He felt this was a step in the right direction, however. 

Across the campus, a great beast vanished into the woods around the dueling arena.


	4. Scarlet of the Campus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love has found them.

Slowly, they were learning about each other. 

Bismarck felt that their talk had helped. He was starting to learn about her as a person, his emotions now less wild but not so much refined. It was feeling natural to him now, to be eager to see her, to feel warm when she smiled. It wasn’t something bad. His own parents had never been particularly affectionate, though they had never discouraged him from finding a partner. It had been a time for him to just learn what he felt he was missing. To be human, really. Or to be a person, his own person, who was in love with a woman who apparently did not exist on any official records. 

And he was not an unobservant young man. 

He had learned that Okami was many things. She had a real talent for botany. No matter if a plant was diseased or dying, even if it was dead, she seemed to be able to nurse it back to life. Stronger than before, mostly. There didn’t seem to be any language she didn’t know, and Bismarck found himself picking up on things that weren’t taught in books. He was learning, and it was much easier to pick things up just talking with her, it seemed. 

But perhaps what he was loving most was just being with her. Even if it was just the two of them lying out on the grass, that was enough. Bismarck had learned that his own wants were very simple in the grand scheme of things. He didn’t want elaborate shows and to shout to the world, he was content holding hands and spending sunny days together. 

Days had slowly flowed into weeks of them just existing together. They had grown to become ‘that couple’ across campus, and there was no shortage of gossip about the senior class’ top student seeing a strange, small woman. 

Okami always had a talent for turning up when she was needed it seemed. Whatever it was, even if Bismarck wasn’t aware that he really needed her, she would be there. And he loved her. 

He could admit that to himself now. 

That he loved her. 

There were ways to go about this, and he knew them well. There was a proper order to things, and he spoke to his father at length about this. To properly court a lady, there were rules. The primary one was simply asking the lady’s father, and that was significantly more difficult than it seemed. 

Primarily because Okami never spoke about family. Bismarck had no idea where to start. She had no proper surname, though she mentioned once that she had used ‘Sanada’ more than once. She had not been terribly forthcoming about where she was born, or when. It felt like a puzzle that Bismarck was having a terrible time putting together. There was something extremely alluring about not knowing, but when he truly wanted to do things right it was downright frustrating. 

“Okami.” He finally caved one rainy afternoon while they were both curled up together. 

Well, she was small, curled up next to him while he was supposed to be studying. 

“Hm?” She nudged closer. 

No time like the present. 

Bismarck shifted slightly, so he could look at her proper, though she seemed fairly insistent on staying tucked under his arm. 

“I have… tried, very hard, to find your father to ask him properly, but being unable to do so, I can only ask you.” He was more nervous now than he had ever been in his life. “I know you had asked me to wait, to learn, and I feel as though I have.”

“Oh?” She sat up. “And what have you learned?”

“That you are… elusive at best. That you have a talent for raising all sorts of plant life, and that the sunlight always seems brighter when you smile. I have found no records of you, and at this point, I don’t want to. But I do know, now more than ever, that I do wish to be with you. I would like to court you properly, to be yours fully.” 

It was probably wordier than he intended, but he had never been so nervous. He had never had these feelings, to genuinely wish to love someone like this. And he was a proper man, one of tradition. One who did things the right way. 

He waited with baited breath for her response. 

The small woman smiled, her hand reaching out to gently touch his cheek. 

“I have seen very few men like you, Bismarck, and I have not fallen in love with any of them until now.” 

The rain continued to fall outside, through the afternoon and well into the night, but as far as Bismarck knew, it had been sunny all day.


	5. Eros of the Ball of Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is unrest among the populace.
> 
> The Sun rises.

Weeks had turned into months. 

The beast of the campus had remained a rumor, with tracks that were occasionally found in the mud. 

Bismarck had continued his life, or his new life really. Classes. Courtship. Proper courtship really. His parents both had met his dear love, and despite Okami not being a noble, and more or less having come from nowhere, made a distinctly positive impression on them. She had a charm to her, it was hard to find someone who explicitly didn’t like her. Not that she would have blamed them, she was just… well, Bismarck had a hard time describing it. 

However, he was not going to describe it at present. There were duties to attend to. 

The graduating class - himself included - were all getting ready for the evening. It was customary for the class to have a formal ball, with the Britannian royal family in attendance. There the royalty would meet the knights to be, and Bismarck had plenty riding on his shoulders. 

_”You will surpass your bloodline.”_

The words that Okami had said to him in one of their earliest meetings still rang in his head as he did the buttons on his dress uniform. The easy part had been asking Okami to join him, as many others would have their significant others, but the hard part had been actually convincing her to dress formally. He had never seen her in anything above worker’s clothes, and he had suspected that she did not actually own any formal wear. 

Well, it had been a quick trip to the family’s tailor, and he was certain the maids were helping her into the dress that had been made. Hopefully with all of their limbs. Okami had been rather combative when it came to something like this. Still, Bismarck was sure it would be fine. 

He was ready, rapier at his hip, waiting for her to appear. 

Fortunately it was not long, though there was definitely a feeling that she was uncomfortable. Long red dress with white roses embroidered along the hem. Red heels. Bismarck thought she looked radiant. Stunning. Would be the prettiest girl there. 

“Let it be known I’m doing this for you.” She said, taking his arm. 

“And I appreciate it. I’ll make it up to you soon.” He replied, leading her out from the dorms to the waiting car. 

It was a short trip, from the dorms to Nemuro Memorial Hall, but he would not force her to walk across campus in heels, not when she was already uncomfortable enough. This night was important, they both knew it. There would be no beast upon the campus this night. 

The ball was in its early hours when they arrived, and he helped her from the car. The knights were standing guard already, ushering them through the doors. Britannian nobility was unmistakable, and Bismarck could see the emperor and his family immediately. Charles, already slated to be Emperor, was not hard to find, though Bismarck did not miss the way Okami’s hand gripped slightly harder on his arm. Nerves? He hoped it was. 

“Do you need a moment?” He asked quietly, to not draw attention as they were announced, descending the main staircase. 

“I’ll step out for air in a little bit, don’t worry.” 

She sounded fine, but there was something nagging in the back of his mind. Maybe she sensed something he didn’t? He would have to be on alert, his back straightening and eyes alert for all sorts of threats. Anything or everything, he would have to know. 

“Ah, Bismarck Waldstein!” 

Eyes snapped in the direction of the voice, and Bismarck bowed immediately in the presence of one Charles zi Britannia. The Emperor himself was not nearby, Bismarck had seen him across the dance floor speaking to one of the Knights of the Round. Charles, however, was the first to greet him, and Bismarck felt relief in his chest. Someone familiar, who he had met even in his youth. 

“Greetings, my lord.” Where Bismarck bowed, both men noted that Okami did not. No bow, no curtsey, nothing. 

“I had hoped to get a chance to speak to you properly. Many of us have been keeping an eye on your progress, your talents will soon be in high demand, and I wished to make you the first offer to be one of my personal knights.” Charles’ words were polite, perhaps too good to be true. 

Bismarck knew the weight of his family name. The Waldstein family had always been proper knights, next to the emperors and empresses of the Britannian family. To be offered such a chance was incredibly generous, and if that was the opening offer, Bismarck could barely fathom what any of the other nobility would offer. The only thing he would think of would be offered a Knight of the Round position, not that he would even think of such lofty heights. Still, Charles was to be next in line should the current Emperor perish…

Okami nudged him slightly, bringing him back to reality quicker than expected. Hopefully he did not look as foolish as he felt, thinking so casually about the future and whatever opportunities were before him. 

“I would be honored, my lord.” Bismarck tried very hard not to just trip over his words. Things seemed to just be lining up for him.

Small talk, however, was not Charles’ strong suit, though there was a very notable smile on the man’s usually stone expression. However, there was a definite unknown variable, and those clear, cunning eyes took notice of the details. Bismarck, fortunately, was a sharp man. 

“Pardon my rudeness, my lord. This is my beloved, Okami.” 

Bismarck was not a stupid man. He noticed instantly, the way Charles looked at the small woman on his arm, and the way she looked at the man in return, that an entire silent conversation was being had. Like two dogs sizing one another up, and he wasn’t entirely sure what to think. She would not bow to him, and he would hardly give in to her. It was something that he could not properly put into words, how they were just poised to strike. And maybe they would if they were in less than polite company. Or maybe it was some test, to see who cracked first. 

However, it was Charles who did not give in so much as he made the first move. Okami moved in kind, offering her hand for him to kiss. Surely whatever silent movements were had, Bismarck would undoubtedly believe that they were somehow on even standing.

“Anyone who could capture the eye of a Waldstein so well is deserving of the highest respect, my lady.” He said, his own hand lingering on hers for perhaps too long. She seemed so small compared to them both. 

“He is a wonderful man, I am hardly so special.” Okami spoke in such an odd way. No honorifics, no titles, she spoke to Charles as if they were equals, as if they were old friends. 

Bismarck noticed now that she always seemed to be like that. Everyone was equal to her. 

“Ah, humble as well as lovely. He is a lucky m--”

The sound of shattering glass and gunfire destroyed any hope of conversation. Bismarck moved quickly, pushing Okami behind him, standing in front of the Emperor-to-be. His training was second nature now, to be the first and strongest defense for the royalty. The large windows were shattered, men in red and black uniforms, with large guns and furious eyes flooding in. People were herded to one side of the room, and Bismarck was with his classmates, the knights-to-be were united. 

He could feel Okami’s hand on his back, and she had moved slightly, keeping on his left side as if there was something she knew. Something she was seeing that she had not spoken. But he was the eldest son, and he would surpass his bloodline. 

“We are the Black Rose, and we have come calling for the royalty’s heads!” The leader, with a large black rose embroidered on the hem of his coat, stepped up. “Too long have the people suffered, with no respite, no relief, and no mercy!” 

Guns were aimed. 

“The revolution will start with the bodies of the knights!” 

For a moment, Bismarck felt the world around him slow. As if a thousand things were about to happen and the world hung there. He had no idea if he really was seeing it wrong, but there was a slow sound of a ticking clock in his ear. He had those seconds, and he would act. 

He made one motion with his free hand, one that he knew the other knights-to-be would understand. 

The ticking in his ears stopped, and swords were drawn. The ticking stopped and the students charged. Maybe it was incorrect to call them students, these were knights. These were only one ceremony away from being official knights, and Bismarck was leading them. Metal hit metal, bodies collided with bodies. Unstoppable anger met unmovable loyalty. They were not going to give in, there were people to defend. 

Bismarck was made for this. Born and forged for this. His orders were clear, even amidst the gunfire and the clashing of steel. Protect the Emperor. Protect his family. 

_Protect her._

He would have been lying, even as he pushed back against this leader, if he said he was not trying to protect her. He couldn’t take half the second to check, to look behind him and see that the Knight of Six was already ushering the nobility out. That Okami was trying to push past so many people trying to keep the civilians and royals out. 

A burst of pain shattered his concentration. Lower right side, right through the back. 

Bismarck sucked in a sharp breath, looking down to see one thin blade jabbing through where his kidney should have been. There were bodies on the floor. Academy Knights. Black Roses. There were not many of the former still standing, but Bismarck was one of them. He took a staggering step, trying to hold his focus. This could still be won. This could still be a victory. 

“This is where you fall. If this is the academy’s finest, then the empire will fall.” The leader’s voice was harsh, cold. 

The blade was yanked from Bismarck’s side, and he fell to one knee. There was so much blood staining his uniform, and he tried to get up. He tried to get his other foot under him. He was… he was…

“Lady Okami! Stop!” 

He lifted his head, struggling to stay upright as he heard that name. 

Her heels were discarded, and Okami had come running. Pushing through the guards, away from Charles, from the Knights of the Round. Bismarck’s hand hit the floor, trying desperately to keep himself up, to get up, as she crossed through the doorway. Running towards him, running towards danger, he couldn’t--

But then she wasn’t there. 

There was no small woman in a fine dress. 

In the blink of an eye, Okami was gone. Where she had been, and now towering over the Black Roses, over the corpses, was a great white dog. A monstrous creature, larger than a bus and as white as snow with brilliant gold eyes. Flames flicked from those eyes, and whirled around this great dog’s shoulders like some ethereal set of wings. If the beast of the campus had been only rumor before, now there was a terrifying feeling that those rumors were true. This was no trick of the light. This was her. This was Okami. This was why she had been so hard to figure out. 

She was the beast of the campus. She was the great dog. 

“Open fire!”

But there was no chance. The monstrous creature roared, lunging into the remaining fools, the ones who did not have the sense to run. Each movement was careful, even as the large paws stepped around the ballroom, no corpses were trampled, Bismarck was not so much as grazed as remaining knights-to-be pulled him away from the fray. 

It no longer was a fight, it was a slaughter. As soon as it had begun, it was over, and there were so many wide, startled eyes staring at this large beast. This dog with a torn right ear. With glowing eyes.


	6. Angelic Creation, Namely Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth has to come out, and now is the time to do so.

She was there when he was released. Stitches and orders of bedrest at least, Bismarck had been told. 

But she was waiting for him. 

She looked different now. Her skin was pale, her hair was white. She had two dog ears, with the right one torn. She had a white tail. She wore clothes that were simple, definitely Japanese in style though Bismarck was not an expert. There were bright red marks around her eyes, over her shoulders, and he could see them over her hips - exposed by her bare middrift. And her eyes, black and gold… 

But he knew her. He would know it was her even if he was blind. 

He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. She held onto him, so small still in comparison, but she was so warm. He had never felt this from her before, an overwhelming sensation of warmth and comfort. It was something he couldn’t entirely be sure he would be able to put into words. Warmth. Safety. Peace. He was safe, and she would be safe with him. Even with his wounds, he was safe here with her. 

“We have much to talk about.” She spoke softly, and Bismarck was not entirely sure he was ready for whatever it was she was going to say. 

She went home with him, escorted via private car. Not to the campus, but home. To a grand mansion bearing the Waldstein crest over its gate. A place that Bismarck had never really given much thought to until he had gone to the academy, and now was giving more to his emotions when he was helped up into his prepared room. Bedrest. He had to let himself heal. As long as Okami was at his side, he was certain that his healing would be quick. There was so much to be said for that sort of comfort, to be by someone he loved. 

She sat next to his bed, and he held her hand. 

“I am the Sun Dog.” 

There was a gravity to her words, a weight dropping onto Bismarck’s chest at the name alone. 

“Goddess of the Sun, known as the Mother of All Good Things. I have lived for tens of thousands of years, ever since humanity could look upon the sun and give it a name, a comfort, and worship it.” 

Bismarck had several questions, but bit his tongue. 

“I have seen war, peace, all seasons and phases of humanity, and I have protected my people. I have seen the shadow broken by candlelight, and I have seen the sun drowned out by the storm. I have seen great and terrible things, and I have been both great and terrible. And now, I am here. With you.”

She gave his hand a squeeze, and he returned it in kind as a silence settled over them while she let him process it all. It was, admittedly, a lot to think on. 

But she let him think. To take as much time as he needed, and admittedly, Bismarck needed time. So those days on bedrest were spent thinking. Processing. Okami had been very clear, to learn who she was as a person before jumping into things, and he now felt that he knew who she was. A radiant, divine being, one who had clearly spoken, and expressed her desire to be with him. 

Days later, they both stood in the Imperial Palace. She was recognized as divine, an ambassador that would help light the way. He was knighted - for his duties to protect his kin and royalty. Knight of Five, Bismarck Waldstein. 

Their days were only going to grow busier, and Bismarck could not help but notice the way Okami would stare out at the sky, as if she were expecting a storm.


	7. Ambition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night grew darker when Charles made his word known. 
> 
> “Tomorrow, I will name you as my Knight of One.”

At twenty-five, Bismarck had thought here would be where he stayed. 

Knight of Five, with a divine solar flare as his only love, in the service to the Emperor. 

That changed in a heartbeat. 

Charles had a plan, and he put it into place masterfully. The revolt was bloody, the man usurping power with such a swift hand that the Knights had no chance. And their only choice was clear, to join the new Emperor, or to perish. 

Bismarck chose his side. Charles had done much for him. He had protected his fiance, defended his rank, and done much to elevate the Waldstein family to loftier heights. Maybe this was what Okami had meant so long ago. He was grateful she was not there during the revolt. The nightmare seemed to end as swiftly as it had begun, and by sundown the empire had the 98th Emperor. There was so little that could be done it seemed, and the man sitting on the throne now was one of peerless ambition and eyes that Bismarck had seen only in predators. 

There was a similarity to those eyes, that look of vigilance and power, that he had seen in his dear Okami. 

It was not even a day when the upcoming and sudden marriage to Marianne - Knight of Six, and who Bismarck considered a fine equal - was announced. There were days to scramble, there was a plan set in motion.

Okami was gone, off tending to her people, when Charles came to him. 

To talk. 

“Walk with me, please.” The Emperor said, and Bismarck obliged. 

And they walked in the evening light. 

And they talked. About love. About the future. About the Empire. About themselves and who they are. They talked like old friends, like they had known each other their entire lives. And maybe they did, maybe they were just two old souls who just understood each other. Bismarck could see his vision, and Charles could see the wisdom in the young man’s eyes. They were old friends, not Emperor and Knight. They just were. And there was decidedly a comfort in that. Something about the two of them, speaking of their lives and their ambitions, it was a powerful and somewhat terrifying. 

As they walked, Charles spoke about his plan, about his powers. And Bismarck listened, not exactly hanging on every word, but they were speaking candidly, and he asked questions. What was ‘Geass’? What effects did it have? There were so many things, and Charles seemed fine to answer it. There were so many things, the workings of the crown, that the young man was eager to learn. 

The night grew darker when Charles made his word known. 

“Tomorrow, I will name you as my Knight of One.” 

Bismarck felt his blood freeze. 

“And to do so, you will need the proper tools.”

Charles opened a door, and Bismarck entered. 

When Okami visited later that night, she could feel something had changed. She came through the door to his private quarters, as radiant as ever, and he was still awake. She felt her insides twist as she moved over to sit with him, and the silence between them grew loud and terrible. 

He took her hand. 

“...there is something in you now, the same power that Charles has.” She spoke softly. Not judging. Not angry. 

“Yes.” He said quietly.

“Show me.”

He turned to her, and she brushed his bangs away from his eyes. The glowing pink and red, it was clear as the moonlight. He could see everything, the twitch of her ear before it actually happened, the after-images (or were they before-images?) of her movements in one eye, with the split image of her real actions. 

Her hand touched his cheek, and her expression was one of…. Sadness was not the right word for it. Loss, maybe?

“And you are sure this is what you want?” She asked, her thumb gently sliding over his cheek.

He nodded. 

Okami slowly nodded in response, and she tucked herself into his arms. He held her, and they sat in the silence for a long time, until she pushed him over and they started to drift off. 

“I love you.” She whispered softly.

“I love you too.” 

Morning came with sunlight and ceremony. Bismarck was dressed in his finest, the Knight uniform, though still wearing the colors of the Knight of Five. Okami was with him, and only with enough prodding did she let herself be pushed into appearing as she truly was. A radiant goddess dressed in fine silks, with sun-yellow flickers of flames that occasionally leaked from her eyes. It was only right, Bismarck insisted. They both were to look fine. 

“I’m not the one being knighted today.” Okami said, protesting lightly as she took his arm. 

“No, but you are important to me. And I would want nothing more than to let the entire court see you as you should be.” 

She nudged him with her elbow playfully, and the doors opened. 

Together they walked down the red carpet, with soldiers on either side of them, and they were both aware enough to see the cameras, that this was a very public and brilliant event. Okami gave his arm a squeeze. She was not someone for this sort of ceremony, but she was here for him. And she was going to be alright. 

Okami stepped a pace behind him when they got to Charles, for Bismarck stepped up and kneeled before the man. 

“Sir Bismarck Waldstein.” 

Charles’ voice boomed over the room.

“For your efforts, for your valor, for your loyalty, I, Emperor Charles zi Britannia, see fit to reward you for all you have done.”

A sword touched his shoulders. One. Two. 

“From this day forth, you will cast off the title of Knight of Five, and become the Knight of One. For you are the only man in the empire to encompass the loyalty, the strength, and the compassion that the position holds. Now rise.” 

He did, towering over those present. He removed the red and gold cloak, and it was carried off by an attendant, replaced with a pure white and gold cape, one fitting to his new position. Applause and several cheers flooded the room, and he felt his heart swell with pride. 

But Charles was not done.

“Glorious Sun Dog, Goddess Amaterasu, please step forwards.”

The cheers grew quiet, and soft, confused whispers spread through the crowd. Even Bismarck was surprised, and he stepped back to let her step forwards. No one asked her to kneel, and no one demanded it. She stood, because they were equals, if not more. Charles was not a stupid man. 

“Your deeds were not unnoticed, nor was your love for the Knight of One.” 

The sword touched her shoulders, licked briefly with the sun’s fires. 

“I hereby declare you the Knight’s One. You will always be welcome in Britannia, with open arms. And let no man tear asunder what you and Sir Bismarck have created.”

She was stunned, the applause around them definitely something she had not expected. Recognition. Bismarck took her hand, then swept her into his arms. They had an unspoken conversation, her arms wrapped around him, his around her. 

The world may have blinked out of existence for one moment, for it was only them.


End file.
